REOLINK 36CH Network Video Recorder for Home Security Camera System, Only Work with 16MP/12MP/4K/8MP/5MP/4MP REOLINK PoE Security Camera, Integrated O/I Alarm System, No HDD Included, RLN36

Overall the features of this NVR are good for recording Reolink cameras and playing back video. You have the option to select the events you want to see, people, vehicles, animals, or all motion. The set-up is easy. The one feature that caught me by surprise was that the NVR acts as a DHCP server and reassigns the attached cameras to its own subnet. This causes issues trying to to use rtsp. The software has a defect, when the NVR is rebooted, cameras randomly do not reconnect, which are on that subnet. WiFi cameras always reconnect, just the wired cameras have the issue. I sometimes have to unplug and replug a camera several times to get it to be reconnected to the NVR. I have multiple camera models, and this issue happens with all of them. Update: March 31, 2025 - The reconnection issues have been resolved. Support had me upgrade to the most current firmware. Also, I reconfigured my LAN so that all of the PoE switches now connect directly to the back of the NVR. All of the cameras reconnect now just fine after a reboot. The latest firmware also has some nice enhancements. I am changing my rating to 5 stars.

I mistakenly bought this thinking it had PoE, but realized its better that it doesn't. It has 3 bays for HDDs and I am running 12 TB of storage with 6 cameras, and ready to add even more. It has up to 32 channels which is more than enough even for a business. Been using it for 7 months now and I am very happy with Reolink products. I keep going back and forth if I want to switch to Unifi Protect, but Reolink just makes it SO EASY to use. Once you plug in a camera on your network, the NVR automatically detects it, it asks for its username and password, and then its added to your NVR. CCTV and Security doesnt get easier than this.

So, I really only have 1 Reolink camera, it's the POE doorbell cam (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7S1HMPC/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams). I've had it for approximately a year now and have been using it with a 256GB SD card. So far, I have been happy with the performance. I have Wyze cams all over the place, but they aren't as reliable as I need them to be, so I decided to start replacing them with Reolink cams. I was debating whether I should get a kit with cameras, NVR and pre-installed HDD or with this one 36 channel. Since I have about 18 Wyze cams, I decided it would be best to get the 36 channel NVR. I bought a 16TB Toshiba N300 Pro HDD (https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/pop?ref=ppx_yo2ov_mob_b_pop&orderId=112-8633424-2744236&lineItemId=jhqmsvmonrmtqups&shipmentId=Qkflgn1S8&packageId=1&asin=B09TQ6ZZPV). Over the next 6 months I'll buy 2 more HDDs. The NVR was super easy to set up, it connected to my camera right away. Having 36 channels makes this NVR great value for the money spent. It connects to the camera quickly and it's picture quality is great. The NVR is very quiet even though it has a NAS HDD.

If you want to use existing Reolink POE cameras like I did, this NVR will work great but you'll need to also purchase a HDD and a POE switch. I also added a second switch to the network for a few more cameras, it's easy, you can do it. Here's what I used and it works: HDD - https://a.co/d/c1x4uXg POE Switch #1 - https://a.co/d/4NPDlrn POE Switch #2 - https://a.co/d/1VNXq8B Any POE switch will probably work, I bought those 'cause I needed them fast. I'm giving it four stars, it's easy to setup and their app is ok but I wish Reolink played well with other brands. You can only use Reolink cameras to achieve the full functionality.

Original: It is a solid NVR after you add a few good brand fans. Pay attention that this is not the model with the poe switch built in. Overall, my disappointment is with their web interface that it only displays one camera at a time and keeps displaying the error "-104 unknown". They could claim to have an app for viewing multiple cameras simultaneously, but it doesn't work for Linux users. They should invest in improving their web interface by adding grid views(that is not a 2 weeks job for a software engineer). I'll continue to update the firmware, and if they add this feature to their web UI, I'll give it five stars. Update 07/12/24: The "-104 unknown" error message appears when I open the web UI and view a camera. If I click "duplicate" to open a new tab and view a second camera, the error occurs(and keeps popping up every few seconds). However, if I open blank new tabs and log in to the NVR in each one of them, the error message does not appear. Update 07/16/24: I recently found the "Enable picture-in-picture video controls" feature in Firefox/LibreWolf. This feature lets me detach the video from the browser, adjust its size, and position it as needed, surpassing the capabilities of a grid view. The only downside is that I still need to open a new tab for each video. Additionally, I discovered the integration with Home Assistant, which includes customizable view grids. With nothing more to wish for from an NVR, I am updating my review to 5 stars.